O'Fallon to spend nearly $400,000 on bike loop

ST. CHARLES, Mo. (KMOV) -- The City of O'Fallon, Missouri is prepared to spend more than $358,000 on a bike loop with the help from federal funds. The purpose of the funds is to ensure transportation spending supports more than just roads.

"They look at it from a whole regional standpoint and say 'is this a project that is truly going to benefit our region' and they fund it based on that," Tom Drabelle, O'Fallon spokeman, said. "We are essentially competing with other areas in the metro area for this funding."

Many residents, especially along a dangerous stretch of Highway N, told News 4 they were hoping the money could be spent to fix older roads.

"Congress has authorized these projects, states and localities apply for them. It is competitive in the sense that they are qualified and get the money but that does not mean that the money should be spent in the first place," Tom Schatz, Citizens Against Government Waste, said.

Even MoDOT officials admits Highway N needs work, but it has no money to fix it. In the meantime, money from another fund is being spent on a bike trail.

"I hate to think about what the long term cost of that is. Is it dangerous because it is costing lives and car wrecks or a slow response time for an ambulance getting down there and someone not making it? It's those kinds of costs I think you have to look at," Brad Buchanan, a St. Charles resident, said.